Description: The match seemed like a bad idea from the beginning - bringing the fiery personalities of K' and Kyo together and then tossing the not so innocently violent Kula and the laconic Acacia into the mix... only to stage it at the YFCC to boot. But what starts out bad only ends worse, when Kyo's taunting provokes K' into realizing he doesn't want to be there at all!
This is the sort of thing that gives insurance companies fits.
Oh, the premiums for the YFCC aren't all that great. And the additional fees for event coverage by SNF organisers are pretty high too. As things go. But that's nothing...when you've got an approximately ninety-nine percent chance that the big moneys /will actually be paid out/.
Not that the fans packed into the community center seem to care, oh no. They're already counting on a match filled with destruction and violence. Chaos, that's the name of the game. The YFCC building is hardly a quiet place the best of times - and the wide expanse of the ground floor lobby is packed to capacity now, with a great crowd crammed into the converted warehouse. The noise is like a sheer physical entity in and of itself, bursts of light going off - the stacatto of photo flashes and the steady glow of active video capture.
At one end of the cordoned-off area dedicated to the fight itself, Acacia Gillespie adjusts the velcro straps on her padded gloves. She studiously ignores the frenzied crowd...and tries desperately not to sigh.
While she's not well-acquainted with the other fighters in this match, she certainly knows of them by reputation...and one can't really ignore all the rumours floating round about this bunch.
Who the hell thought this was a good idea, anyway?
"'m not," Acacia mutters, darkly, "babysitter."
The LAST time Kyo was in the YFCC, things didn't go super great; yeah, he had a knock-down fight with Ryu, but they kind of messed up the floor a bit, and Kyo might have traumatised some of the students by insulting Sakura and suggesting that her idol and teacher has a tiny pecker. That's just how Kyo Kusanagi rolls, though; he's a jerk, and pretty much every time he opens his mouth he's bound to offend /someone/.
So naturally, someone had the brilliant idea to send Kyo BACK to the community center for another public bout, and probably gave him a bigger crowd than before. "What the hell are you whining about?" Kyo wonders, overhearing his 'partner''s muttering, if not the contents thereof. "Cheer up, bush league. You finally get a chance to sit at the grownups' table. Try to savour it!"
Yeah, this is how he talks to people he's /teamed up/ with.
Since he's the reigning World Warrior, AND a former King of Fighters champion, Kyo is likely to get the lion's share of the attention from the crowd here. Despite his rather, uh, jerkholeish persona, he /does/ acknowledge the crowd, raising his hand over his head and setting his palm aflame, snuffing it out by clenching his fist. A little theatrics never hurt anybody... Unless they got in the way of him setting things on fire, one supposes. But who would be dumb enough to do that?
Kula has never been reluctant to show up for a SNF before. Oh, sure, she's at times not really in the mood to engage in what amounts to chores for her, but usually her resistance only takes on the appearance of a quiet sigh or two, or maybe a pout, or some vague attempt at an excuse as to why she doesn't want to go. In the end, though, she doesn't put up much of a fuss.
Until /this/ time, anyway. When the booking for the match got back to her via her NESTs handlers, she wanted nothing to do with it. And she couldn't even say why, either. "It will be a good chance to see K' in action again." one of them noted. "Just be sure, if you decide to kill him there, it has to look like an accident!"
"I don't feel well." she had claimed. "You don't have a fevor. Let's go." came the reply. "I lost my gloves," the girl protested, holding up her bare hands only to have a replacement pair of gloves handed to her. "I lost my shoe," she tried a second time, holding up her black sock clad left foot. They weren't so fast to provide a replacement shoe, which is why when the waifish teen finally steps into the lobby, she's got but one insulated boot on her right foot, her left foot covered by a sock.
She steps hesistantly into view, glancing over her shoulder to where her NESTs handlers have gathered on the sidelines. A cautious look is given Kyo and Acacia in turn, the girl's pace uncertain as she moves through the cordoned off section of the lobby. Violet eyes scan the audience and then she finishes with one last sweep over the room before releasing a bit of a sigh. Whew. He didn't show. The violet leather clad girl relaxes just a little. She had been trying to find out through any direction possible what the fate of the young man's sister turned out to be, but no information was forthcoming.
Closing her hands in loose fists, she rests them at the base of her neck, closes her eyes, and releases one more sigh. Those who tend to her travel and medical needs might suspect K' just chickened out. But Kula knows better. The last time he stood over her, clutching his bloodied sister closely to him, fear was most definitely not the emotion she saw in his yellow eyes. Well, with any luck, this little event will be cancelled promptly and she can just go back home!
It's terribly ironic how-- other than Acacia-- K' is probably the combatant here most 'at home' within the YFCC. And that familiarity pays off at times like these. He knows exactly how to enter in order to avoid the public and the media. He knows where to go in order to snatch some time to himself before the match starts. And-- most importantly-- he knows how to enter the lobby so as to draw little to no attention.
Kyo, Acacia, and Kula are all gathered. But K' isn't present. Perhaps he really did opt to simply not show: even despite the specific admonishment he received from Geese Howard himself concerning this match, and even despite what Kula had done to him. Perhaps, as the scientists believe, he's simply afraid of their little jewel. But as always, perception is a far cry from the truth.
For a few moments, Kula's allowed her vague hopes that she'll escape having to deal with him. But soon enough, something familiar starts to gnaw at the edges of her perception.
Kyo would be able to feel it in his blood... and more importantly, Kula can feel it in hers. The sense of K''s presence comes and goes, constant in its inconstance: its restless transience calling to mind an image of its owner prowling somewhere around the periphery. It heats the blood, weighing heavily right on the instinct centers in the back of the brain. He's definitely in the building. He's definitely close by. And he's keeping himself deliberately out of Kula's sight.
The seething, restless audience ebbs and flows against the cordoned area, people quieting down as it seems the match is slated to begin. And at the very fringes of the crowd, a stir starts up and ripples through the gathered people. K' has finally opted to come into the lobby proper, working his way with a snakelike ease through the crowd, and as people recognize him they shy away. But the shift of the audience is similar enough to the natural movement of a gathering of people that it could very easily go unnoticed... and K' does nothing else to announce his presence beyond merely existing.
Kula won't -need- an announcement, however. That heated pressure weights harder and heavier the closer he comes, and she's likely got a very vested interest in keeping track of it. It's anyone's guess whether he'll obey that directive of Howard's, and given that Kula is exceptionally qualified to know just how well K' takes orders, well...
With the arrival of K', the noise from the rowdy audience reaches damn near breaking point. The SNF commentator screams something incoherent over the PA system...
...Acacia scowls, her lips curving downward, her face tightening. Her eyes close, lids drooping. She pauses for a moment to lift her hand to her forehead, fingertips brushing her temples. Oh yeah. This fight will be a real barrel of laughs. Pure comedy gold, fun for the whole family. Such a spiritually uplifting experience, she can feel herself cheered already.
She exhales, letting the breath go all in a rush. She glances at her supposed partner for the match, Kyo, eying the Kusanagi scion. She starts to reply, opening her mouth - then stops, apparently thinking better of it. Acacia rolls her eyes, then turns her attention to Kula and K'.
Right.
Fine.
Okay.
How bad can this be?
Rolling her shoulders, Acacia takes a step forward into the roped-off fighting ground proper, the big space at the centre of the lobby. Combat boots scrape against the flooring as she adopts her usual combat stance, feet apart, one arm raised in a guard position, the other loosely chambered to strike.
"Alright," she says, simply.
"Heh," Kyo laughs, at something wholly unrelated to Acacia, though it might seem he's amused at the stoic girl. "Finally making his appearance, huh? He's a worse drama queen than Yagami." Of course, Kyo could sense K''s presence; beyond simply the reaction of their shared bloodline, though only one of them comes by it honestly, Kyo's senses are more finely honed than his slacker persona would suggest, and K''s strength is... Not inconsiderable. He's aware of the ebb and flow of K''s presence, and it makes him shake his head ruefully.
Kids, honestly.
With a shrug, Kyo follows Acacia into the ring proper, but with K' still playing hide and go seek in the crowd, there's nobody for the World Warrior to direct his attention to except for Kula. "Awww, what's the matter?" he wonders of her, in a falsely indulgent tone. "You scared? Hey, if you wanna run away, go right ahead, kid. I'm sure K' would be more than happy to pull your share of the weight for you." He even makes a 'shoo, shoo' motion with his hands at the ice-wielding girl. Why?
Because he's an asshole, that's why.
She can sense when he's near. That nagging in the back of her mind tells her so. The resonance is not unlike the Kusanagi heir himself, standing across from her. Kyo's chi may be the origin of her and K''s infused powers, but the connection she has with K' is stronger. After all, she was out to kill him before. The knowledge that he did show, that he's lurking around, causes the girl turn, peering into the crowd. A shadow flickers between the bodies, a figure there then gone in an instant. Her breathing picks up pace, her gloved hands tightening, knuckles pressed into her chin as wide, violet eyes try to pin down from what angle he is going to attack.
But the crowd parts and at last he steps into view, not with a battle cry, but rather with silence. She holds her breath for a long moment, adrenaline coursing through her system as she tries to guess at what K' will do next. He doesn't intend to actually fight at her side, does he? Kyo is the one she hears next and the girl glances toward the legendary fighter with an almost blank blink, as if not really sure why he thinks he's so important as to have any input into this personal drama of hers!
Cornered into a match she doesn't want to be here for, the ice user finally exhales a long held, pent up breath, a shimmer of white energy coursing over her as she lowers her arms to rest at her sides. By the time the wave of chi has passed, she is left with frosty sky blue hair and a small, localized flurry of crystals swirling about her. Now crimson tinted eyes shift back to K', the girl keeping as much distance from him as the sectioned off area allows for. If those two are actually supposed to be a team, it would be hard to tell at a glance. Of course, the audience doesn't know any better, most of them probably eagerly waiting the destructive semi-teamwork K' and Kula mustered the last time they fought side by side. Of course, Kula didn't think he was going to try and kill her on the spot in /that/ match!
Swallowing, her mouth opens at last, her words spoken with frozen breath, "I'm ready." Whether the statement is with regards to what vendetta she believes K' will try to carry out without warning, or the match in general, isn't exactly clear in that context.
It's uncharacteristic. But when K' finally slices into view, his lean form knifing cleanly out of the crowd, he's not looking at Kyo at all. He's not paying Kusanagi any attention. His is an obsessive one-track mind, only capable of actively hating one thing at a time... and right now, the girl who nearly murdered his sister takes a little more precedence than the Kusanagi scion.
K' exits the crowd some distance to Kula's left. Instead of going to stand next to her, or perhaps walking in front of her, or even just staying right where he is and holding that distance, K' circles directly behind her. He passes by close enough to sear her shoulderblades.
Every one of his tense movements seems a likely candidate to lead into a sudden killing attack: but nothing happens. K' just passes by, taking his unbearable heat with him, and comes to a slow stop as far as he can get from Kula. He glances at Kyo, his eyes shuttering briefly of emotion in a guarded sort of way, and then he looks at Acacia. He doesn't say anything. He's busy thinking about things other than greetings. God knows what's running through his mind.
His unusual inactivity might well provoke some uneasy questions in poor Kula's mind. Will he even give this fight his all? Or will he simply fuck around, leaving her to try to hold her own against two adversaries? He only showed, after all, because this is likely to be one of his only chances to catch Kula: not because he gives any kind of a shit about his performance in the actual match.
I'm ready, Kula says. The sound of her voice triggers a quiet laugh from K', and the sound-- black with threat-- is singularly unpleasant. Should she then steal a peek at him, it'd be to find him watching her instead of the opposition. His head might not be turned towards the girl, but he's regarding her unblinkingly out of the corner of his yellow eyes: simply waiting, with the sort of quiescent, predatory patience one might expect from a Howard more than from the hot-tempered experiment.
Wordlessly, K' tracks her every motion with those cold eyes, his careful gaze following every twitch and fidget. The implication that he's just waiting for her to make a fatal mistake is blatant. Whether he actually -will- disobey Howard is almost irrelevant, at this point: it's almost punishment enough just to make her live in constant fear of the mere possibility.
Across the fight ground, Acacia regards the other fighters in the match. Her gaze lingers on K' - then shifts to take in Kula as well, with the flecks of frost drifting round her lean form. Another flicker, then, as she spares a heartbeat to glance at Kyo. She lets his commentary pass unremarked, once more.
But the muscles of Acacia's face shift, subtly. A small twitch. Behind her cool eyes, her mind works. There's something going on here, a tension she's not privy to. She doesn't know the history.
Still...she knows there -is- history. That much will suffice.
Her jaw clenches, her mouth setting itself into a thin line. Her lips press together.
In the background, now, as the roar of the crowd reaches crescendo...the voice of the SNF announcer slashes through the cacophony in a ear-cracking shriek, the sound of an electronic buzzer crackling over the speakers, resounding through the building's lobby.
Acacia moves. In a single fluid motion, she launches off with her rearmost leg, her heavy boot slamming into the tiles, throwing her body forward. Her right arm whips up, around, the fist at the end balling tight in a compact shape of clenched knuckles, sinew, bone. Flashing at the nearest target, the fighter directly across from her - the man named K'.
Paradoxically, the best way to defuse tension here...
...is probably for her to punch someone.
Funny how that works.
COMBATSYS: Acacia has started a fight here.
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Acacia 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Acacia has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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|-------\-------\0 Acacia
COMBATSYS: K' has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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K' 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Acacia
COMBATSYS: Kyo has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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K' 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Acacia
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|-------\-------\0 Kyo
COMBATSYS: Kula has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Kula 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Acacia
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K' 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Boy, they sure set Kyo up with a bunch of chatterboxes tonight, didn't they? The Kusanagi heir looks mildly annoyed by the taciturn silence from at least half of this fight, but oh well... He'll just have to take up the slack. "It's cute that you've got a crush, K'," Kyo says, gesturing vaguely at Kula. "Finally started to grow hair in new places, huh? Voice cracking, getting deeper sometimes? But come on, we're in the middle of a match here. Ogle girls later!" the World Warrior chides his 'copy', though then of course, Acacia is off like a shot at the aforementioned Beast of Prey, getting all punchular.
"Heh, well at least you don't mess around," Kyo says of his partner for the night. "I can appreciate that." And then, since it's entirely possible K' is still focusing his attention on Kula rather than on his opponents, Kyo sweeps one arm forward, a trail of flickering orange-crimson Kusanagi flames following the motion of his hand, a 'seed' of flame launched forth and blossoming upon contact with the floor... Whereupon it races at K'. "Heads up!"
As K' circles near, a few of the outermost flecks of ice that spiral around Kula melt, falling to the floor as small drops, but she doesn't turn to face him. Tense, breath held, she decides to avoid looking his way. It will make it harder for him to see the uneasiness in her eyes. It isn't that she's afraid to fight K' - one on one, she is every bit his equal, his counter in so many ways. It's the prospects of having to deal with him in this particular setting that puts her ill at ease. It's those accusing, angry eyes.
If he intends to hang back and leave her to fight Acacia and Kyo alone, she's practically prefer it. A sound beating when outnumbered isn't among her worries. It's not knowing what /he's/ going to do the whole time that has her frowning faintly, red hued eyes tracing across Acacia and Kyo, her active thoughts taking a reluctant backseat to her passive combat algorithms.
K' gets another glance, however. That derisive laugh has her noticing the way he watches her out of the corner of his eyes. Silent as an iceburg, the girl's hands rest against her sides, hands clenching and unclenching idly. It's an awkward arrangement for the hunter to have her prey so well situated to get rid of her now. She closes her eyes again, takes another breath, and opens them to find the battle in motion. Acacia and Kyo both go to get K''s attention. She could do the same, betray him before he can do the same to her. Simply wait, hope the other two batter him down, then attack...
But when the ice user springs into action, it isn't to assault K', but rather to blindside the girl swinging in to deliver a solid punch. It seems she has the same idea in mind, her feet sliping easily over the smooth lobby floor as if she navigated on unseen skates, racing toward Acacia's side. Her right hand tightens, a flash of white chi flaring out from her limb before solidifying into a semi-translucent guantlet of jagged ice. Kula swings, promising a damaging strike if Acacia isn't able to defend herself in time, sharp edged shards jutting out from the steel-strong ice covering her arm.
COMBATSYS: Acacia successfully hits K' with Strong Punch.
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Kula 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Acacia
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K' 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Kyo
COMBATSYS: K' blocks Kyo's Yami Barai.
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Kula 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Acacia
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K' 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Kyo
The sudden, piercing sound of the match beginning-- the amplified voice of the announcer, the electronic shriek of match start-- spears into K''s perception. His jaw grinds shut, eyes half-lidding, the crowded area and cacophonous noise already irritating him: much less this overload to his sensitive senses. His eyes drift shut briefly before opening again... narrowing in time to refocus on Acacia coming straight for him, without sound.
The sudden pain does, in a way, defuse the tension. Being struck clean across the jaw jolts his mind-- just as riddled with combat algorithms and lethal conditioning as Kula's-- straight into fight mode, much as stepping on a snake's tail makes it coil. A few steps of retreat, a lick to rid himself of the trickle of blood spooling down his lip, and K' turns his attention to Kyo... who also sees fit to throw an attack of his own.
An attack-- and his usual snide, uninformed commentary. K''s eyes, for the space of a few instants, fix squarely on Kyo's. "Glad to know you're still stupid enough to mouth off on things you don't know shit about." A burst of his own fire flares before him, Kusanagi fire combating Kusanagi fire, soaking most of the energy of Kyo's flames. Even in the midst of all that thrashing fire, K' looks unnaturally calm: though the absolute anger in his eyes betrays his real mood just a little. "Don't speak to me again, Kusanagi..."
And K' turns shoulder instantly on Kyo, twisting around sharply, his right hand clawing across in a swipe and slinging a sudden rush of fire towards Acacia. To the audience it seems as if he's cooperating with Kula, attempting to fence Acacia in from both sides with a cloud of flame... but anyone who looked a little closer (and Kula herself, for that matter) would quickly notice K''s throwing his fire with absolutely no concern for whether the little icewielder will be able to get out of his way.
COMBATSYS: Acacia blocks K''s Eins Trigger.
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Kula 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Acacia
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K' 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Kyo
COMBATSYS: Acacia interrupts Fierce Punch from Kula with Unyielding Stance.
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Kula 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Acacia
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K' 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Kyo
It's almost a beautiful picture.
The mass encasing Kula's arm glints under the strong lights of the YFCC building. Perfect blue-white crystal flashing through the air as the race towards Acacia - lit by the crimson flames of K's fury. A scintilating display, a stark tableau - and one, for the fighter at its heart, filled with lethal promise.
Breath hisses through Acacia's teeth.
She sees it all in a moment. There's no time to think. Just react.
She thrusts one arm into the fire, raising it to shield her face, fingers splayed. Glowing embers splash across her sleeve, scorching and stinging - but breaking against her own raised aura of chi.
For unlike the other fighters in this match, her own power is a more subtle thing than any display of light and energy. Her chi suffuses her slight form, flowing through bones and muscle, strengthening and renforcing. And it's with -that- she turns, her /other/ arm meeting Kula's - intercepting the punch in a move more than a simple block. The two limbs collide at the forearms, the scintilating edges of the ice tearing through the fabric of Acacia's jacket, slashing into skin and flesh...but even as flecks of fresh blood fly, Acacia forces her own arm further, driving the brunt of the impact into Kula.
Acacia's eyes are narrowed, sharp and intent. Kusanagi's comment flashes, fresh in her mind. Big leagues indeed.
What's this? What's this, K'? Calling Kyo stupid is pretty much par for the course, but telling him to not even /talk/ to you? That's gonna hurt a guy's feelings, you know. "Hum," the World Warrior champion says, shrugging his shoulders. "Okay." So, rather than going after K' again, the dark-haired flamewielder turns towards Kula instead. "Sorry, Snocone, looks like I'm all yours," he says, suddenly lunging at Little Miss Petri Dish.
He crosses the distance between himself and Kula in a flash, swinging his right fist at her in a sharp, hooking punch once he gets close enough; a trail of flame follows behind his fist, along with an eruption of the sacred Kusanagi flames at the expected point of impact. "So let's see..." Kyo says, as he strikes; his words continue with his follow through, as he steps in and swings his left fist up in a second fiery punch, this one aimed at Kula's jaw. "...If you can..." And then, he twists around and brings one leg up, tucked in close and then thrusting his foot /also/ at Kula's jaw for a third and final strike. "...HANDLE THE HEAT!!"
COMBATSYS: Kula blocks Kyo's Aragami.
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Kula 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Acacia
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K' 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Kyo
Trading blows is just part of the game. Kula's ice sheathed arm smashing into Acacia's, digging in where she can up until the punch that comes back her wave drives the blue haired youth back a little ways. K''s fire got dangerously close there, but she could tell that for how little he clearly cared if he hit her, he wasn't aiming to. For now, at least, it seems he intends to play along. Somehow that doesn't resolve her concern.
Ignoring the bruise Acacia's strike is going to leave, she shifts her focus to Kyo, not having to struggle to hard to figure out that 'Snocone' must be her. The spark of flames along his arm is familiar, Kula's eyes narrowing slightly as she brings her defenses to bear, not intending to get struck by the original Kusanagi flames if possible. The ice over her arm shatters into shards hovering around her limb, before she paints the space between her and Kyo, leaving in the wake of her hand an encrusted barrier of ice.
His first strike cracks it, the ice hissing as steam rises up from it. The high strike finishes the job, destroying the rest of her barrier and opening the way for his flame laced kick. But by then Kula is ready, her left arm swinging out, forearm taking the brunt of the attack, the effective NESTs engineered leather jacket she has on absorbing the worst of the impact. "Flame users," she replies calmly, taking a step back to recover from the impact, "Are very common."
Her right hand slams forward, aiming for Kyo's chest, drawing the fragments of ice from her shattered barrier up into a very small glove of ice over her hand, a sharp spike jutting out over her knuckle as she aims to jam that right into the Kusanagi scion.
And honestly, K' would actually be cruelly pleased if he ever managed to hurt Kyo's feelings. He might not be the same wild, unfocused, and spiteful creature he was when he first escaped NESTS' custody, but he hasn't entirely grown up. Part of him still bears an immature resentment towards Kyo... Kyo, who preaches to him even when he has no idea as to the reality of K''s circumstances.
For the time being, however, Whip is at the forefront of K''s mind. And as such, K''s anger towards Kyo has to take a backseat to his attention for Kula. This doesn't mean he can't still act on it, however... and when Kyo shrugs and goes off to hit Kula instead, K''s eyes slowly slide over towards his back.
K' retracts out of his attack on Acacia, letting Kula surge in towards Kyo and snare his attention. A lift of his hand snatches back control of the cloud of fire hanging in the air, preventing its dissipation and calling it back to its owner. K''s hand shuts, retracting, drawing the fire back as if it were strung upon a string... and then K' whips around, driving a kick into the fire and sending it bolting towards Kyo.
He continues to do nothing outright to Kula. His reasoning for such is not forthcoming, K' keeping his thoughts to himself... but one thing that's certain is that he's cursing Geese Howard for choosing to give him a "self-control" exercise -now-, with -these people- involved.
Typically...in a paired match like this, Acacia'd be sparing some concern for her teammate. After all, this Kula girl's no pushover. she can't be, not after all these casual displays of power. It takes amazing chi control to just skate over the ground like that, to generate such massive amounts of solidified moisture - hell, Acacia's not even sure that latter trick is entirely chi.
But this is Kyo Kusanagi. He can damn well take care of himself.
Besides, he's got a raging case of chronic asshole.
On the other hand, while she's not particularly worried about Kyo, she's still got some responsibility to watch his back. Basic tactics and situational awareness. In her peripheral vision, Acacia tracks the clash between Kyo's flame and Kula's ice. The relative positions of all the fighters is clear on her radar...
...as is the fact K' is attacking Kyo from his blind side.
"Over here," Acacia says, mildly. Her tone's flat, neutral, barely audible beneath the sound of rushing fire and hissing steam that suffuses the battlefield. But it's just enough, for the keenly honed senses of a high-level fighter.
Acacia drives her own arm forward, drawing upon her own reserves of energy, forcing a sharp pulse through her system and out from her limb. A sharp /CRACK/ adds to the chaotic noise of the fight, as chi energy explodes from her fist as nearly pure kinetic force, concussive energies shaking Acacia's arm - it trembles and quakes as she throws the punch at K'. Somehow she keeps it on target.
COMBATSYS: Kyo blocks Kula's Medium Punch.
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Kula 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Acacia
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K' 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Kyo
COMBATSYS: Kyo blocks K''s Second Shoot.
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Kula 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Acacia
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K' 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Kyo
But does K' have any idea of the reality of anyone else's circumstances? From what Kyo's seen of his 'clone', the other flamewielder exhibits no ability whatsoever to think beyond himself and his own problems, leaving the Kusanagi heir with precious little patience for his idiosyncracies. Why does Kyo even care, one might wonder; after all, he's a big insensitive jerky jerk who trashes people all the time.
But, like Kyo told K' once before: K' IS his problem.
"Oh, Snocone," Kyo says, as Kula calls him 'common', of all things. "You're gonna hurt my feelings, talking like that." That driven forward hand smacks into Kyo's palm, the material of his special Kusanagi gloves not tearing, or scuffing, or yielding an inch against Kula's own high tech NESTS ones, or the icy shell she puts over her fist; the ice shatters, and the impact stings a little, but. "'course, I don't have to worry much about you hurting me anywhere /else/," the World Warrior says.
Then K' kicks fire at him.
Kyo's free hand swings up, and flame flares around it as he actually just about /punches/ the incoming fiery projectile, causing a premature eruption. It stings, sure, but not enough that Kyo can't largely shrug it off, despite the faint numbness that creeps through his arms. "Weak," the Kusanagi heir says, before ideally using Kula's caught fist to swing her around, and then spike the little experiment face-first into the floor. Kind of hard.
COMBATSYS: Kula fails to interrupt Strong Throw from Kyo with Crow Bite.
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Kula 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Acacia
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K' 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Kyo
Even having both of them attack at once, Kyo's defenses prove formidable. The frozen spike intended for his chest shatters against his palm and Kula blinks, having been taken by surprise at such an aggressive defense. Mouth opening, she's about to retort when she notices Kyo's attention diverted to contend with K''s fire. No time for words, the chance to strike is now! He has her right hand, but it is her left arm that becomes her next weapon. Another guantlet of ice, this one far larger than anything she had attacked with yet, shimmers into existence as another bright flash of white passes over her sleeve.
Her right foot stomps forward and the girl starts to crouch, ready to lunge into a crushing, flesh rending uppercut into Kyo's side. But her momentum betrays her as he simply twists the girl around with his grip on her fist. Yanked off her feet, all that energy meant for her attack is useless for striking him and instead is immediately converted into easing the harsh landing he has in mind for her.
Rather than the crunching sound of a painful impact, Kula comes smashing down face first in a thick mass of finely powdered snow, the ice guantlet over her left arm no where to be seen. It softens things a bit, letting her roll off to the side into a crouch and rise back up to standing, leaving a small snow drift on the lobby floor, her right arm coming up to rub across her cheek. He's proving to be a lot more difficult to deal with when he's actively /paying attention/ to you, she's discovering.
COMBATSYS: Acacia successfully hits K' with Mass Driver.
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Kula 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Acacia
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K' 0/-------/-======|==-----\-------\0 Kyo
It's true. K' has no idea of anyone else's circumstances, other than perhaps the fact he envies them. And he certainly thinks of nothing but his own concerns. His own problems are so multitudinous, after all, he's got precious little time to think about anything else. Selfish, hypocritical, close-minded... it's clear that despite the fact K' -is- Kyo's problem-- just as Kyo is K''s-- the two won't be able to actually resolve anything without something pretty drastic happening.
And that won't be happening here.
Especially with Acacia as a disrupting factor. He hears her, certainly, even through the sounds of the fight. And he straightens instantly, attempting to turn and meet her attack harshly. What he doesn't expect-- not knowing who Acacia is and never having looked at any of her tapes-- is the burst of energy that accompanies the move. It throws off his attempt to guard, the deceptively small-looking girl railing into him. Nearly a foot shorter than him, and yet her strike knocks him back a not inconsiderable distance... while K' -is- light for his height, the force is still surprising. Skidding back an additional few paces, K''s eyes narrow.
Most would expect him to instantly retaliate, attempting to claim an eye for an eye. Especially those who've seen his other fights and know his usual relentless, vengeful modus operandi. But instead, he pauses-- and cuts a glance towards Kula, saying and doing nothing: a breath hissing out between his teeth. It's clear by now, if it wasn't already, that he has some other agenda here.
COMBATSYS: K' gains composure.
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Kula 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Acacia
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K' 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Kyo
Instinctively, Acacia follows K's gaze - she snaps her eyes to the side, turning her head to track what the other fighter's looking at. Satisfied that he's not suddenly noticed something she's missed, Acacia starts to turn back.
She stops, then. Blinking.
She's met Kula once, Acacia realises, belatedly. She never got the other girl's name - and until now, didn't really realise who she was. An entry on a scorecard and a few glimpses on televised matches does not a good memory trigger make. Getting a close look at her again in person, though, in this state of hyper-accelerated combat awareness...that changes the equation. Not that it means much, beyond a sudden spark of recognition at Kula's face.
That momentary sense of dislocation is enough, though, to prevent Acacia from taking advantage of K's inaction to attack Kula. Instead, she remains standing directly across from K'.
It's another heartbeat before Acacia moves again, lunging forward, twisting, spinning another closed-fist punch at him...this one a whirling backhand, going high.
"You must be real fun at parties, keepin' people's drinks cold and stuff," Kyo says, as Kula gets to her feet some distance away. The World Warrior champion is well aware of the rest of the fight, of course - that sort of awareness is pretty much standard issue, with a fighter of his caliber, isn't it? - and he notes the way that K' keeps his attention focused on his own teammate, rather than on either of his opponents. It's curious.
And the fact that K' hasn't gone on some tirade blaming Kyo for all the problems in his life, blah blah woe is me etc., suggests to the Kusanagi heir that there is something more pressing on his mind; combining these two facts and doing more math than he bothers to at school brings Kyo to a conclusion: K' has a serious problem with Kula.
"Heh," Kyo chuckles, shaking his head ruefully as he keeps laughing. "Oh man, I get it," he says, brushing his hair back out of his face. "Someone else you'd rather be fighting than me and her, isn't there, K'?" Kyo calls out. "Well, hey, don't let /me/ stop you, man. Go right ahead," and as Kyo says this, he gestures directly at Kula.
Of course, as he does all of this, there's a kind of terrible pressure building, all around Kyo. Like something ominous growing steadily closer, just out of sight. He /might just/ be lying about having no problem with his opponents turning on each other.
COMBATSYS: Kyo gathers his will.
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Kula 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Acacia
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K' 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Kyo
K' is being knocked back by the power of Acacia's attack but Kula is too busy glaring back at Kyo to think much of it. Tactics might dictate that she move in to try and buy him time, but even her passive combat algorithms are having a hard time keeping her mind on the fight, sparing the red-glove bearing NESTs escapee only a fleeting glance - just enough to make sure he isn't going after her. /Yet/. The Kusanagi's observations bring her attention back to him as he dismisses that power she's so proud of as just being handy for parties. Hands clench at her sides, the girl exhaling softly. She's been trained to keep clam even under verbal taunting, and after a short internal struggle with her pride, she manages do just that.
Her right hand is lifted, raised to her mouth, palm up, as she gets ready to give Kyo another opportunity to contend with her icy chi. But as he begins to speak again, she realizes he's addressing her 'teammate' for this fight directly and her hand lowers just as Kyo gestures her way, inviting K' to just cut to the chase of what it is he'd rather be doing right now. Her attack paused, it would be reckless to go charging back in to try and land an attack against either opponent with Kyo urging K' to take his shot.
Breathing in then exhaling again, Kula extends her right hand to the side, toward the powdered snow she had used to soften her impact against the floor. The small flakes whip up into a small whirl, drawing back over the girl's arm, conjealing into a more concentrated mass before flashing white and fading away. Returned from that which created it, the recovered energy reinvigorates the young fighter as she holds her ground, waiting for K' to act, quite convinced that Kyo's provoking would be all it would take to push him over whatever precarious edge he has been lingering near this entire fight. "If this fight is over, then I'll be going now." she states quietly, her voice terse. She isn't here to carry out her mission. She doesn't even want to /be/ here. Even more, now that Kyo is actually encouraging K' to take his shot.
COMBATSYS: Kula gains composure.
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Kula 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Acacia
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K' 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Kyo
COMBATSYS: K' blocks Acacia's Quick Punch.
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Kula 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Acacia
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K' 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Kyo
K' is more prepared this time. That sharp strike comes reeling in, and he catches it, deflecting it off to one side. He finally actually focuses on Acacia, presumably to return fire... and then Kyo's voice hits his senses. K' pauses, his eyes half-lidding, and thought seizes his expression. He straightens slowly, his back turned to Kyo and Kula, but says and does nothing more.
He can't say he isn't tempted to just try and lay into the girl. But this is not ideal. He had hoped to be able to attain a situation where he could catch Kula after the match-- preferably considerably weakened-- drag her away from her handlers, and quietly murder her out of sight of the cameras. After all, the girl spent so much time locked up in NESTS bases that SNFs were practically the only time he could get at her. But there were several things wrong with the setup here... and for that matter, some other issues that had been chewing at the back of his mind.
K' is an intensely private individual in many respects. His vengeance isn't exempt from that. The idea of his retribution being a public thing, recorded and broadcast and gawked over and talked about, is utterly disgusting to him: he has problems enough with just putting his -fighting- on display for the masses, much less something as personal as this. Even worse, they're in the YFCC... and K' does not want to execute revenge in this building. He had wanted to kill Kula in private-- and here and now, that chance seems remote. No, this was the wrong way to approach this. He should not have been a combatant in the match at all; he should have been backstage, waiting undetected for his chance.
His head finally lifts. "You assume I only want to -fight- her," is all K' replies Kyo-- not looking at the other boy-- as he turns and cuts abruptly towards Kula. With a shadowed swiftness, he kills the distance between them, attempting to invade straight into her personal space: all while maintaining an obvious readiness, a certain tenseness that discourages attack. He is hardly letting his guard down, knowing the girl is dangerous.
Kula attempts to excuse herself, and K' just smiles: a cryptic sort of look. "You won't -be- going." Not until he's said his piece, anyway, and K' isn't slow to get to the point. "This," he tells her quietly, keeping his voice quite low, "is not over. And the only reason I haven't torn you in half yet is because I chose not to." A smirk knifes across his face. "I don't care for the idea of the entire world seeing you die. I want that for myself."
But promisingly enough-- for Kula, anyway-- K' won't end on a death threat. Not this time. He leans back, brushes past her, and paces to the fringe of the delineated area. His voice lifts a little, drifting over to Kula from his turned back; he does not care if this part makes it to the cameras. "There are a lot of things you're going to fucking explain to me. Another time. Another place. You'd better use the time to think of something fucking good to say."
He slants a look over his shoulder. This is, he feels, the most important point. "...and you'd better stay the fuck away from my sister."
He does nothing further. If the rest want to continue their pointless sport, fine... but he has no further purpose or desire.
COMBATSYS: K' takes no action.
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Kula 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Acacia
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K' 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Kyo
Acacia scowls. She remains standing where she is, where she stopped when K' intercepted her punch. She crouches, wary, her knees bent, center of gravity lowered. Her eyes flit between the other fighters standing round - if the tension wasn't thick before, it's damn near oppressive now. Everyone's on edge. It's almost a physical thing.
She ignores the noise from the crowd. Ignores the television cameras and the flashes of light from the photographers. She even manages to ignore the pounding of blood in her skull.
Acacia stands there. Waiting to see which way this is going to jump.
She's sure as hell not going to break this impasse.
COMBATSYS: Acacia takes no action.
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Kula 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Acacia
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K' 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Kyo
Honestly, Kyo just wanted to see what would happen. Besides, it seemed to him that K' was repressing a little bit, and that never does anyone any good.
Standing there with his hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans, looking rather casual while everybody else is all tense and stuff - the build of power from his direction having finally subsided - Kyo tilts his head to one side. He watches, curiously, at the exchange between K' and Kula, even if he can't hear the first part of what his copy has to say. "So that's it, then?" Kyo asks, into the silence that presumably follows. Kula wants to leave, K' wants no part of any of this except to threaten Kula - though Kyo files away the mention of his 'sister' for later.
Doesn't seem like K''s life is going to see any less meddling from the Kusanagi heir, no.
"Tch... It's boring fighting people who don't have any interest anyway. I'm not here to bully a bunch of weak losers who'd rather go sit at home, next time, don't even bother showing up, okay?" Kyo is being clearly neglectful of his part in instigating this, but that's his privilege. He's Kyo Kusanagi, dammit!
COMBATSYS: Kyo takes no action.
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Kula 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Acacia
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K' 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Kyo
It seems K' isn't going to let a minor detail like almost killing his sister slide so easily. Provoked by Kyo, pushed past the breaking point, it seems he's reached his limit. Kula stares at Kyo at first, wondering what exactly he's doing. Why is he goading K' on? Clever fight tactics? Emotional manipulation? Being a great big jerk just because?!
But her thoughts about what prompts the legendary Kyo to do the things he does fade quickly as K' approaches. He's swift to move, and she isn't budging, thoughts conflicted as to what it is she's supposed to do in a situation like this. Should she go ahead and break the fight protocol and attack K'? Her handlers are always so insistant that she stick to the scheduled concepts, giving them the opportunity to see how she performs in a variety of stressful situations, giving them plenty of data to review later. But they didn't account for this. Deciding to attack if attacked, she falls into a defensive stance as the NESTs escapee gets in her face. Her right arm raises, folded over her chest, her left hand drawn up, palm forward, prepared to counter attack back if he decides he's going to take his shot here and now.
But then he speaks, his words not for the cameras but for her, and Kula stays quiet, taking in her breath as he makes it quite clear he's looking for that opportunity to kill her. Just not here, in front of others. It's a sane thing for him to want to do. She was, after all, made to kill /him/. Fate and circumstances having delayed that longer than should have been. But still, hearing it from him is jarring. And it tells her that the wounds she left Whip with were indeed fatal. He's out for revenge.
Kula opens her mouth again to say something, only to have him brush past her and start to leave. She doesn't turn to watch him go; she doesn't even need to listen to the sound of his footfalls to know he's leaving. That presence of his slipping away, giving her space, is all she needs to know.
Something he says chisels its way past her fright, however, as suddenly Kula whips around to face K' just before he looks over his shoulder. "I already told-!"
He mentions his sister and she falls silent, cutting herself off, mouth closed, eyes widened slightly. So his sister is still alive then. It isn't really too much of a relief. She had not wanted for his sibling to die, but felt she had no choice but to defend herself with deadly force. It does mean K''s vendetta isn't based on Whip being dead, and as she thinks about it, that makes a fair amount of sense. If that had happened, he wouldn't have even managed a minute's pretense of not trying to kill her the instant he arrived.
But in the end it looks like she's left without a partner, turning around to blink toward Acacia at first, then Kyo Kusanagi secondly. His taunts about wanting to just hide out of sight rather than show up for these things don't really get under her skin much. The girl has about as much fighting spirit as a five year old, powerful chi manipulation not withstanding. She exhales, mouth curled into a frown. K' didn't attack her, no, but it still leaves her without anywhere to go from here. "You're better at fighting than I am," she states simply toward Kyo, folding her arms in front of her. She wasn't created to handle /him/. Not like anyone CAN! "I can't fight the both of you."
Her hand comes up, waved absently, and then then Kula turns to walk off just like K' did.
I already told you, Kula starts to say. It's clear she's going to retort his insistence that she explain her behavior with something to the effect of, 'I already have.' Frowning intensely, K' considers how to put things, his gaze whetting down to a razor's edge. "...That's the point," he eventually replies, sharply and cryptically. "You -explained-."
Why would a machine, mindless and obedient, ever feel like she has to explain herself? Especially since mere fear was not the motivator?
K' has no desire to attempt to find the answer in front of so many eyes. His yellow gaze cuts towards Acacia, briefly. It glances towards Kyo, K''s stark silence answering Kyo's rhetorical question well enough. A faint 'tch' escapes him at Kyo's sulky closing words, but he makes no reply; he simply turns his back again, and disappears into the crowd.
Log created on 22:28:23 07/11/2008 by Acacia, and last modified on 17:04:37 08/14/2008.